Sen. Alan Bates takes the lead in the Oregon Senate race

The latest election results show that the race for State Senator in District 3 now has Sen. Alan Bates pulling ahead of challenger Dave Dotterrer.

Only 240 votes now separate the two candidates, who have been running a close race as the ballots continue to be counted.

The results up until this point have shown Dave Dotterrer poised to upset incumbent Sen. Bates. Â Dotterrer originally showed a lead of more than 1,000 votes on election night, but his lead has slowly dwindled.

Many are watching this race especially close, as many Oregon Senate seats have switched to Republican hands, and this race may decide which party has control of the Senate.

If Sen. Bates, from Ashland, should lose as well as Martha Schrader in the District 20 race, the Senate would be tied, 15-15.

The Oregon House of Representatives now stands tied as well, 30-30.

The race for governor is extremely close and still undecided. Â With 95% of estimated votes counted, John Kitzhaber (D) leads Chris Dudley (R) by half a percentage point, 48.8% to 48.3%.